Cry Freedom (1987) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error South African journalist Donald Woods is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend the black activist Steve Biko. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 26 titles created 08 May 2013 a list of 43 titles created 15 Jul 2013 a list of 44 titles created 05 Jun 2015 a list of 35 titles created 10 months ago a list of 49 titles created 5 months ago Search for " Cry Freedom " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.

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John is a powerful and successful political consultant, with clients spread around the country. When his long-time friend and client Ohio senator Sam Hastings decides to quit ... See full summary » Director: Sidney Lumet An Indian family is expelled from Uganda when Idi Amin takes power. They move to Mississippi and time passes. The Indian daughter falls in love with a black man, and the respective families... See full summary » Director: Mira Nair The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence. Director: Norman Jewison Antwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins. Director: Denzel Washington A white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a black teen-age son who can't wait to be adopted into the, almost-exclusively-white community of, San Marino, California. Director: Michael Schultz Edit Storyline Donald Woods is chief editor of the liberal newspaper Daily Dispatch in South Africa. He has written several editorials critical of the views of Steve Biko.

But after having met him for the first time, he changes his opinion. They meet several times, and this means that Woods and his family get attention from the security police. When Steve Biko dies in police custody, he writes a book about Biko. The only way to get it published is for Woods himself to illegally escape the country. Written by Mattias Thuresson The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and awakened the world Genres: 6 November 1987 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Grito de libertad See more » Filming Locations: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Dolby (35 mm prints) Color: Did You Know? Trivia The movie stars two actors who both won Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards during the 1980s. Denzel Washington won for Glory (1989) whilst Kevin Kline won for A Fish Called Wanda (1988). Washington later won a Best Actor Oscar for Training Day (2001) whilst Cry Freedom (1987) garnered Washington his first ever Academy Award nomination which was in the Best Supporting Actor category.

See more » Goofs Tires screeching on dusty dirt road. See more » Quotes Steve Biko : It's a miracle a child survives here at all. People are so desperate for anything they'll beat a kid bloody if they thought he had five Rand. But if you do run fast enough, if you do survive, you grew up in these streets, these houses. Your parents try, but in the end, you only get the education the white man will give you. Then you go to the city to work or shop, and you see their streets, their cars, their houses, and you begin to feel there is something not quite right about yourself. About ... See more » Crazy Credits Opening disclaimer: "With the exception of two characters whose identity has been concealed to ensure their safety, all the people depicted in this film are real and all the events true." See more » Connections Movie Review - - Film: Attenborough's 'Cry Freedom' - NYTimes.com Film: Attenborough's 'Cry Freedom' By JANET MASLIN Published: November 6, 1987 LEAD: THE mantle of greatness does not fall lightly onto the heroes of Sir Richard Attenborough's epic film biographies.

It is placed there by a heavy hand. A great statesman, as in the director's ''Gandhi'' or his new ''Cry Freedom,'' about the murdered South African leader Stephen Biko, is apt to be bathed in beatific light as he delivers important speeches, and to be making speeches even when he talks with intimate friends. THE mantle of greatness does not fall lightly onto the heroes of Sir Richard Attenborough's epic film biographies. It is placed there by a heavy hand. A great statesman, as in the director's ''Gandhi'' or his new ''Cry Freedom,'' about the murdered South African leader Stephen Biko, is apt to be bathed in beatific light as he delivers important speeches, and to be making speeches even when he talks with intimate friends. He will be surrounded by acolytes, who often nod their approval as one. When he moves the masses, thousands of people will appear on screen. And he will speak to them in clear, helpful, eminently instructive tones. Everyone else in the film will speak that way, too. These are fine methods for delivering a civics lesson, which to some extent is what the Attenborough approach is all about.

But for a film that aspires to entertain as well as educate, they are less helpful. Without forgetting how valuable it is that someone has had the courage to make serious and sincere films about important subjects, it must be noted that good intentions aren't everything. Although ''Cry Freedom'' has sweeping, scenic good looks and two fine performances to recommend it, not to mention the weight of moral decency on its side, what comes through most strongly is the ponderousness of the Attenborough style. ''Cry Freedom'' has other problems as well, problems that arise from the fact that there is no Gandhi at its center. In ''Gandhi,'' the director had a wonderfully irascible and inspiring character with which to work, a long and fascinating story to tell, and a wealth of unforgettable aphorisms with which to pepper the dialogue. Stephen Biko was a less flamboyant kind of hero, more the dedicated political theorist and less the colorful eccentric. Much less is known about him. And tragically, his story was a great deal shorter.

Biko's terrible death in 1977, at age 30, at the hands of South Africa's Security Police (who at first tried to maintain that Biko had willfully starved to death or died of self-inflicted head wounds, until an inquest determined otherwise), was in some ways the most important event of his career, since it so outraged and galvanized many of his countrymen. Yet ''Cry Freedom'' makes relatively little of this, and in fact makes relatively little of Steve Biko himself, allowing him to disappear before the film is even half over. The rest of the time, it chooses to concentrate on Donald Woods, the newspaper editor who was Biko's close friend and bravely defied South African authorities on Biko's behalf. In theory, shifting the focus makes some sense, since the Biko story is sketchy and downbeat, the Woods part more conventionally dramatic. In fact, it is most unfortunate that this film, with its potential for focusing worldwide attention on the plight of black South Africans, should concentrate its energies on a white man.

Oddly enough, there is a stronger sense of South African racism in the opening part of ''Gandhi,'' with the great statesman then a young Indian lawyer who is astounded and indignant at his treatment by a white train conductor, than there is in ''Cry Freedom.'' The new film, for reasons that are incomprehensible, soft-pedals the very issue it is nominally about. Steve Biko, played with great magnetism and given an air of true heroism by Denzel Washington (though the role is badly underdeveloped in John Briley's screenplay), talks at length about white oppression, as do his supporters. Donald Woods, played by Kevin Kline as a dashing, debonair liberal who evolves ever-so-gradually into an adventurer, talks about it, too. But talking is most of what happens here, since the Attenborough approach makes no distinction between merely stating an idea and demonstrating one through dramatic action.

Though the film contains several stupendous riot scenes (including one compressing several weeks' worth of fighting in Soweto, in 1976, into a day and ascribing the actions of black riot police to white ones), it devotes very little time to the day-to-day indignities created by apartheid. In any case, the white actors playing security police are so cartoonishly evil-looking that their actions hold little surprise. ''Cry Freedom,'' which opens today at the Ziegfeld and other theaters, is bewildering at some points and ineffectual at others, but it isn't dull. Its frankly grandiose style is transporting in its way, as is the story itself, even in this watered-down form. Opening with self-consciously journalistic footage of a 1975 police raid on the Crossroads settlement, near Cape Town, it quickly introduces Donald Woods to Steve Biko through the intervention of Dr. Ramphele (Josette Simon), a fiery woman closely associated with the banned black leader (Biko's reputation as a ladies' man is the sort of humanizing detail the film badly needs, and refuses to make use of).

The two men meet and quickly become friends, although they are almost exclusively seen discussing important political questions, rarely engaging in the give-and-take that would make the friendship seem real. Among the film's best scenes are those in which Mr. Woods attempts to intervene in his friend's behalf with James Kruger (John Thaw), the minister of police, who plays the cordial host when Mr. Woods visits him at home and then ruthlessly betrays him. Here, and in a scene when police officers try to search Biko's home and he asks them to stay outside and show him their warrant through a window, there is a sense of how mannerliness and brutality play equal roles in South Africa's unique chemistry. The funeral of Biko has also been stirringly staged, with a huge cast of extras singing a black nationalist anthem. Mr. Washington is particularly good in the courtroom scenes that provide his character with an excellent forum. And the long segment devoted to a scheme by Mr. Woods and his wife, Wendy (Penelope Wilton), to escape the country with the manuscript of Mr. Woods's book about his friend's death, is engrossing in a more ordinary way, though it's much too long.

The film's editing is so messy, and its concentration so erratic, that it neglects to mention what becomes of the family's black maid, who will surely be implicated in their getaway, and who is left behind. ''Cry Freedom'' can also be admired for Ronnie Taylor's picturesque cinematography, and for a large supporting cast including many African actors (Zakes Mokae turns up as a priest). It can be admired for its sheer scale. Most of all, it can be appreciated for what it tries to communicate about heroism, loyalty and leadership, about the horrors of apartheid, about the martyrdom of a rare man. Although these thoughts don't come through clearly enough, they can still be heard. ''Cry Freedom'' is rated PG (''Parental Guidance Suggested''). It includes some violent episodes. A Bond of Brothers CRY FREEDOM, directed and produced by Sir Richard Attenborough; screenplay by John Briley, based on the books ''Biko'' and ''Asking for Trouble'' by Donald Woods; director of photography, Ronnie Taylor; edited by Lesley Walker; music by George Fenton and Jonas Gwangwa; production designer, Stuart Craig; released by Universal Pictures.

At Ziegfeld, Avenue of the Americas and 54th Street; New York Twin, Second Avenue and 66th Street; 84th Street Six, at Broadway. Running time: 155 minutes. This film is rated PG. Stephen Biko... Denzel Washington Donald Woods... Kevin Kline Wendy Woods... Penelope Wilton Jane Woods... Kate Hardie Dr. Ramphele... Josette Simon Kruger... John Thaw Father Kani... Zakes Mokae Evalina... Sophie Mgcina Cry Freedom: Richard Attenborough makes a Mandela of Steve Biko | Alex von Tunzelmann | Film | The Guardian Reel history Cry Freedom: Richard Attenborough makes a Mandela of Steve Biko Attenborough's drama gives us a saintly martyr in place of a vibrant hero. And then pronounces his name wrong A powerful leader turned into a poster boy … Richard Attenborough on the set of Cry Freedom. Photographs: Ronald Grant Archive Entertainment grade: C+ History grade: C Along with Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe, Steve Biko was one of the most important anti-apartheid leaders in mid-20th century South Africa .

Politics Toned down … Washington and Kline Liberal newspaper editor Donald Woods (Kevin Kline) has convinced himself that Steve Biko (Denzel Washington) is an anti-white racist. Biko has been "banned" by the regime – meaning that he cannot associate with more than one person outside his immediate family at any one time, nor travel outside a specific area. Woods goes to meet him. In the film, Woods politely objects to Biko's message, and Biko responds with a gentle sermon on the plight of black South Africans. It's considerably toned down from the authentic version recounted in Woods's memoir, in which Woods lost his temper, shouting: "I don't have to bloody well apologise for being born white!" Biko's real-life response was good-natured, but more powerful and confrontational than the one in the film. He explained that he tried to discourage hatred of any sort, but his priority was to liberate black people – not to worry about the hurt feelings of white liberals. Director Richard Attenborough, much lauded for the Gandhi he created, projects an almost identical personality on to this icon. But the Gandhian in South Africa was Mandela, not Biko.

Race Not dull in real life … discussing how to end apartheid "We don't want to be forced into your society," says Biko. "I'm going to be me as I am, and you can beat me or jail me or even kill me, but I'm not going to be what you want me to be." But while the film lets Biko say that, it strives to present him as it wants him to be – humble, chaste, non-violent – not who he was. The real Biko spoke fierily, wittily and colloquially, peppering his speech with "hey, man". In the film, Biko talks like a slightly dull vicar from Suffolk. The real Biko's simultaneous long-term relationships with a wife and a lover, not to mention dalliances with many other women, are all but airbrushed out. "One cannot give a full account of the personality of Steve without mentioning his powerful sexuality," the real Woods wrote. The film tries, and is the poorer for it. So this movie, honouring a black hero who staked his identity on refusing to conform to white liberal expectations, redesigns him ... to conform to white liberal expectations. Oops.

Alanis Morrissette, if you're reading – this is actually ironic. Law Justice denied … Denzel Washington Woods goes to the country garden estate of police minister Jimmy Kruger (John Thaw, who is superb). Woods asks Kruger to lay off persecuting Biko. Kruger plays nice at the time, but later secretly turns on Woods – sending the police after him instead. Meanwhile, Biko is arrested. He sustains a suspicious head injury, and dies in custody. Shamelessly, the authorities claim he did it himself, with a hunger strike. "Biko's death leaves me cold," Kruger snarls at a press conference. This line, unpleasantly enough, is accurate. The pronunciation is not. Almost everyone in the cast (except Washington) mispronounces the name Biko. The man himself said it bee-core, to rhyme with "seesaw" – not bee-koh, to rhyme with "neato". Violence Lucky escape … Kevin Kline Woods, too, is banned by the regime. He eventually flees the country.

At the very end of the film, he has a flashback to the Soweto uprising where, on 16 June 1976, police opened fire on protesting school students. Recreated here, the scenes of the massacre are devastating. They are also jarring, because they're so much more dramatic than the last hour of the film, which has focused on how Woods slipped past his ban and got out of South Africa . Certainly, Woods's experience was remarkable. But when the viewer is suddenly presented with hundreds of children being shot in the streets, you've got to wonder whether "white guy escapes" is the story most in need of telling here. Verdict Preaching to the converted … Denzel Washington A well-meaning film about the white liberal experience in South Africa – but, if you want to know about Steve Biko, look elsewhere.

BBC News | FILM | Cry Freedom: Charting the struggle Monday, 20 August, 2001, 09:45 GMT 10:45 UK Cry Freedom: Charting the struggle Cry Freedom tells the story of 1970s apartheid South African newspaper editor and anti-apartheid activist Donald Woods, who gained international recognition with the film Cry Freedom, has died at the age of 67. Richard Attenborough's ambitious 1987 epic, Cry Freedom, is seen as an overview of conditions in South Africa at the height of apartheid. This was a second biographical movie for Attenborough - this time about black leader Steve Biko - after the Oscar-sweeping success of Gandhi. Donald Woods laid flowers at a statue of Democracy in London Denzel Washington memorably plays Biko, a former student leader who founded the Black Consciousness Movement in 1969 and gave up medical training to devote himself to the struggle. Biko's message inspired a generation. He is portrayed in the film is as a charismatic leader in the model of Martin Luther King.

But though the film does tell Biko's story, it is essentially aimed at white audiences and as such concerns itself more with the story of Donald Woods. Woods, played by Kevin Kline, was part of a group of progressive South African journalists which helped establish truthful and objective press, exposing the crimes of apartheid. Cry Freedom tells the story of how Woods' friendship with Biko roused his political consciousness. Attenborough is acclaimed for his biographical movies Woods eventually had to flee to Lesotho on New Year's Eve 1977, dressed as a priest, after Biko's death. Biko died from brain injuries after 21 days in police detention. Cry Freedom had the full collaboration of the real-life Donald and Mrs Woods. The movie divided South Africa commentators. Some said that Woods, portrayed in the film as a prominent member of the white liberal establishment, would have been a target for Biko's campaigns. Others wondered why a film that was supposed to tell the story of a black civil rights leader focused so much on his white friend. But most agreed that the film, particularly the scenes of schoolchildren uprising in Soweto, packed a powerful emotional punch.

See also: Cry Freedom Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 32 out of 37 people found the following review useful: The timeless message of Cry Freedom from University of Florida, Gainesville. 23 April 2003 I show this film to university students in speech and media law because its lessons are timeless: Why speaking out against injustice is important and can bring about the changes sought by the oppressed. Why freedom of the press and freedom of speech are essential to democracy. This is a must-see story of how apartheid was brought to the attention of the world through the activism of Steven Biko and the journalism of Donald Woods. It also gives an important lesson of free speech: "You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire. Once the flame begins to catch, the wind will blow it higher." (From Biko by Peter Gabriel, on Shaking the Tree). Was the above review useful to you? 30 out of 38 people found the following review useful: An exceptional film from United Kingdom 2 April 2002 This film is, quite simply, brilliant. The cinematography is good, the acting superb and the story absolutely breathtaking.

This is the story of Donald Woods, a white South African who thought himself a liberal until he found out the reality of apartheid. Kevin Kline is completely convincing - so much so that when Donald Woods himself appeared on TV some years later, I recognised him from Kline's portrayal. Denzel Washington also turns in a masterful performance, as ever. I urge you to watch this. It is long, but it is worth your patience because it tells such an incredible story. Remember, folks, this really happened. Was the above review useful to you? 17 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Fine all round performances from Woking, England 1 April 2002 Billed as the story of Steve Biko -- played excellently by Denzel Washington, as you'd expect -- this was actually more the story of Donald Woods, played by Kevin Kline. This was undoubtedly the making of Kline as a serious actor, and he was surprisingly good in the role. Attenborough gave this the sort of direction you'd expect, and the often spectacular scenes of the masses were those of the sort that only he can get across.

The remainder of the cast was competent enough and did a good job, in what ends up as an ultimately sad tale of a South Africa that is still nowhere near the distant past. Was the above review useful to you? 17 out of 21 people found the following review useful: Must-viewing just to begin to understand apartheid's legacy from Miami & Sao Paulo, BR 28 September 1999 CRY FREEDOM is an excellent primer for those wanting an overview of apartheid's cruelty in just a couple of hours. Famed director Richard Attenborough (GANDHI) is certainly no stranger to the genre, and the collaboration of the real-life Mr. and Mrs. Woods, the main white characters in their book and in this film, lends further authenticity to CRY FREEDOM. The video now in release actually runs a little over 2 and a half hours since 23 minutes of extra footage was inserted to make it a two part TV miniseries after the film's initial theatrical release.

While the added length serves to heighten the film's forgivable flaws: uneven character development and blanket stereotyping in particular, another possible flaw (the insistence on the white characters' fate over that of the African ones) may work out as a strength. Viewing CRYING FREEDOM as a politically and historically educational film (as I think it should, over its artistic merits), the story is one which black Africans know only too well, though the younger generation may now need to see it on film for full impact. It is the whites who have always been the film's and the book's target audience, hopefully driving them to change. Now twelve years after the movie's production, CRY FREEDOM is in many ways a more interesting film to watch. Almost ten years after black majority rule has been at least theorically in place, 1987's CRY FREEDOM's ideals remain by and large unrealized. It therefore remains as imperative as ever for white South Africans, particularly the younger ones who have only heard of these actions to see it, and absorb the film's messages.

In total contrast to American slavery and the Jewish Holocaust's exposure, South Africans' struggles have been told by a mere two or three stories: CRY FREEDOM, CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY (OK, Count it twice if you include the remake), and SARAFINA (did I miss one?). All three dramas also clumsily feature American and British actors in both the white and black roles. Not one South African actor has played a major role, white, coloured, Indian or Black!). And yes I did miss another international South African drama, MANDELA and DEKLERK. Though this (also highly recommended) biopic was released after black majority rule was instituted, MANDELA was played by a Black American (Sidney Poitier, who also starred in the original S.A.-themed CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY), while the Afrikaner DeKlerk was played by a (bald) very British Michael Caine, a good performance if you can dismiss that the very essence of Afrikanerdom is vehement anti-British feelings. Until local SABC TV and African films start dealing with their own legacy, CRY FREEDOM is about as authentic as you'll get.

As villified as the whites (particularly the Afrikaners) are portrayed in the film, any observant (non-casual) visitor to South Africa even now in 1999, not to mention 1977 when CRY FREEDOM takes place, will generally find white's attitudes towards blacks restrained, even understated. Looking at CRY FREEDOM in hindsight, it is amazing that reconciliation can take place at all, and it is. But CRY FREEDOM at time shows not much has really changed in many people's minds yet, and that the Black Africans' goal to FREEDOM and reconciliation is still ongoing. This is why if you're a novice to the situation, CRY FREEDOM, is your best introduction. Was the above review useful to you? 18 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Good Sir Attenborough epic from Switzerland 20 November 2004 I saw the film for the first time in 1987, when it came out. I was touched by this story and I began being interested in other Sir Attenborough movies.

I think "Cry freedom" is not as strong as "Gandhi", nevertheless it's a movie worth to see. Because it talks about the struggles of Steven Biko, the anti-apartheid leader killed by South African government in '77. The film is seen with the eyes of Donald Woods, his friend journalist who quit the country with his family for being "too close to the black battles"... The first part of the film is really excellent. Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington are extraordinary, the movie is a cinematic joy (good screenplay, good dialogues and good cinematography). The second part, when Woods (Kline) organizes the run of his family from South Africa, becomes more conventional and shot in a very "Hollywood style" (although the film is British!). The message of the movie is neglected in favour of a more spectacular plot. By the way "Cry freedom" is a good movie because it talks about values like freedom, friendship and respect of human rights. Was the above review useful to you?

15 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Possibly the best ever work for all involved from Portland, Oregon, USA 9 May 2005 As anyone old enough knows, South Africa long suffered under the vile, racist oppression of apartheid, which completely subjugated the black population. One of the most famous anti-apartheid activists was Steve Biko, who was murdered in jail. Following the murder, reporter Donald Woods sought to get Biko's message out to the world. In "Cry Freedom", Woods (Kevin Kline) befriends Biko (Denzel Washington) before the latter is arrested on trumped up charges. When Woods attempts to spread Biko's word, he and his family begin living under threat of attack, and they are finally forced to flee the country. The last scene gut-wrenchingly shows police firing on protesters. As one of two movies (along with "A World Apart") that helped galvanize the anti-apartheid movement, "Cry Freedom" stands out as possibly the best ever work for all involved. Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 20 people found the following review useful: Don't judge this movie so harshly!

15 December 2004 *** This review may contain spoilers *** On watching this movie as part of background research for my GCSE History I was moved enough to search for details on it. To my horror the user known as Howlin Wolf harshly described the movie as 'mostly 2 and a half hours of boredom punctuated by occasional flickers of interest when Kline or Washington were given a passionate monologue to deliver'. How can a person, after watching the story of thousands of people in South Africa at the time some up such a excellent movie in this way? I have to admit, at parts of the movie I was less interested then at others but how can the movie as a whole be described as boring? Okay, so its a movie but not all movies are made for entertainment! Cry Freedom is a moving movie BASED ON A TRUE STORY AND TRUE PEOPLE. What right does Howlin Wolf have to say its boring? If you, like Howlin Wolf, find it boring, look into the details. In an event portrayed in the movie 700 CHILDREN are brutally shot just because they refuse to learn 'the white man's language' of Afrikanaas.

In another event,a man is reported as dying by 'self-strangulation'? How is it possible to call the plight of others boring? I thoroughly recommend people who can feel empathy for others to watch this and enjoy superb actors portray a time in history which is still under heavy discussion. Was the above review useful to you? 10 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Thought provoking, gut wrenching and a humbling experience at 14 years of age from United Kingdom 15 February 2010 I think the context of the story has been covered by other posters so I would just like to write about the impact this film had on me. I first saw this film the year of it's release around 1987. My school organised a trip to the cinema to see it, for an RE project I think. We all went along of course excited because we were on a school trip to the cinema! Little did we know what we were about to experience. To this day I still remember the feelings it invoked in me and i remembered crying a lot as were most of my friends.

I think at the age we were we found it shocking and quiet rightly outraged in our own youthful way .It had such an impact on me that I joined the Anti Apartheid Movement the same year. I think it served it's purpose in my case. Was the above review useful to you? 14 out of 22 people found the following review useful: I cried! Recommend you rent this movie... from Oregon 18 June 2002 Cry Freedom was such a touching, unforgettable film. The acting was amazing, and they picked the perfect cast. I watched this at my school last year for the first time, and the first scene made me want to cry! Cry Freedom made me laugh, cry, confused, and made me just want to scream at those people who treated blacks cruelly! I recommend you rent this movie. 10/10 Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Cry Out... from India 9 February 2009 Richard Attenborough is a director whose name is synonymous with the Academy Award winning 'Gandhi', back in '83.

I didn't know of any other work of his till i recently came across 'Cry Freedom', released back in 1987. While it may not have been as popular as his Gandhi, it is every bit as gripping, if not more, and was released when South Africa still had not got rid of the shackles of apartheid. While most movies on social issues come out after the event had happened, i guess this one released during the time. The story is based on real life characters and events. The book on which the movie was based, was written by Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), a journalist who used to work in South Africa until the end of the seventies. It traces the origins of Woods friendship with the charismatic black leader Steve Biko, who is wonderfully portrayed by Denzel Washington. I cannot imagine a better choice for the role. Washington exudes a natural charm and screen presence, which Biko's character required. While initially, Woods was against what he felt was black racism being spread by Biko, after meeting the man, he could not help being drawn into his struggles and ideas. The bond between them grows stronger, and Woods and his family realise and become more sensitive to the plight of the people Biko represents.

However, finally, tragedy strikes, and Woods must now concentrate on escaping from South Africa, with his book, so that he can get it published and let the outside world know what is going on. The second half of the movie is a gripping tale of his escape from South Africa, along with his family, and will keep you on tenterhooks. There are some deliciously humorous dialogues too. The scene between Biko and the lawyer in the courtroom is an example. Lawyer: Do you advocate violence? Biko: I advocate a confrontation. Lawyer: Well, isn't that violence, Mr. Biko? Biko: Not necessarily. You and I are having a confrontation now, but i don't see any violence. However, there are moments that bring you back to the horrors that pervaded the country before better sense prevailed. The scene where the army opens fire on a protest by school children is gut wrenching and heartbreaking. This is definitely a must watch. I would suggest those not familiar with Attenborough's work, do take time out for this. There are movies which make a lot of money. And there are movies which make lives. I would any day prefer the latter. Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 6: FILMCLUB - Film - Cry Freedom Date 2015-12-17 10:25:19 It’s very difficult to believe that Apartheid ended in 1994. At the time of writing, that is just 21 years ago. The terrible segregation between the blacks and whites in South Africa was still going on just two decades ago. Cry Freedom focuses on a particular story within the terrible time, and that is of Donald Woods and Steve Biko – and their story is fascinating. Donald Woods, played by Kevin Kline, is an editor of a newspaper. For more information about the demolition of a shanty town, he goes to meet Steve Biko, played by Denzel Washington, a man banned by the government to never leave a certain area in King William’s Town, who is also a hero for the segregated black people. Denzel Washington is phenomenal as Biko, and gives a very real performance.

He never feels showy, and doesn’t have a big ‘give me an Oscar’ breakdown half way through the film – he just feels like a real human being going through these horrific circumstances, and he is remarkable, particularly in a court scene in which he delivers some brilliant quotes with such sincerity and honesty. Kevin Kline has the arguably more difficult job of playing Woods, as he has to make the character memorable against characters like Biko. Kline manages this, and gives an understated performance that is very relatable. Kline portrays Woods with such likeability that you can understand what he’s going through and feel really worried for him as some of the events near the end of the film unfold, in which his acting is particularly excellent, as even though what’s happening is totally astonishing, his performance still feels real. That’s the best thing about the film really though. Cry Freedom always feels so genuine and relatable, so when anything happens, you always feel really anxious for what happens next. It’s actually a very intense film, and sometimes really emotionally upsetting.

For instance, a depiction of the Soweto uprising of 1976, in which over 700 black school children were killed after protesting about learning the language Afrikaans in school, is absolutely devastating. Richard Attenborough brilliantly directs the scene, keeping the camera on what’s happening for the perfect amount of time for maximum emotional impact. Music is excellently used too, and the turn from the scene being really uplifting to completely devastating is depicted really well. The film, however, at 151 minutes, is extremely long. As a result, it can lose your attention at times. Not all the scenes were absolutely necessary either, and if some had been cut, it would be a much leaner biopic and wouldn’t have lost anything from that. Also, a type-writer sound-effect is used in the opening credits and throughout the film and it is very misjudged and can really take you out of the moment. Verdict: Cry Freedom isn’t a perfect biopic, but it does have some really affecting scenes and two outstanding lead performances that make it a really important film about the terrible Apartheid that plagued South Africa.

Jack, 12 Date 2012-06-26 15:03:50 Cry Freedom directed by Richard Attenborough is an emotional and true story about two people who build a big friendship. They both try and fight against racism. The acting was ok (Denzel Washington) Steve Biko was very funny in some parts of the film. (Kevin Kline) Donald woods was very enthusiastic.He was very believable when he was talking to the police. I think the lighting should be improved. in some of the parts you cant really see anything . Its a bit annoying , but funny . Overall Cry Freedom is a good film . I think the film should be for ages 10 and over i rate this film 4/5 stars Eden, 11 Film - Attenborough's 'Cry Freedom' - NYTimes.com By JANET MASLIN Published: November 6, 1987 THE mantle of greatness does not fall lightly onto the heroes of Sir Richard Attenborough's epic film biographies. It is placed there by a heavy hand.

A great statesman, as in the director's ''Gandhi'' or his new ''Cry Freedom,'' about the murdered South African leader Stephen Biko, is apt to be bathed in beatific light as he delivers important speeches, and to be making speeches even when he talks with intimate friends. He will be surrounded by acolytes, who often nod their approval as one. When he moves the masses, thousands of people will appear on screen. And he will speak to them in clear, helpful, eminently instructive tones. Everyone else in the film will speak that way, too. These are fine methods for delivering a civics lesson, which to some extent is what the Attenborough approach is all about. But for a film that aspires to entertain as well as educate, they are less helpful. Without forgetting how valuable it is that someone has had the courage to make serious and sincere films about important subjects, it must be noted that good intentions aren't everything. Although ''Cry Freedom'' has sweeping, scenic good looks and two fine performances to recommend it, not to mention the weight of moral decency on its side, what comes through most strongly is the ponderousness of the Attenborough style.

''Cry Freedom'' has other problems as well, problems that arise from the fact that there is no Gandhi at its center. In ''Gandhi,'' the director had a wonderfully irascible and inspiring character with which to work, a long and fascinating story to tell, and a wealth of unforgettable aphorisms with which to pepper the dialogue. Stephen Biko was a less flamboyant kind of hero, more the dedicated political theorist and less the colorful eccentric. Much less is known about him. And tragically, his story was a great deal shorter. Biko's terrible death in 1977, at age 30, at the hands of South Africa's Security Police (who at first tried to maintain that Biko had willfully starved to death or died of self-inflicted head wounds, until an inquest determined otherwise), was in some ways the most important event of his career, since it so outraged and galvanized many of his countrymen. Yet ''Cry Freedom'' makes relatively little of this, and in fact makes relatively little of Steve Biko himself, allowing him to disappear before the film is even half over.

The rest of the time, it chooses to concentrate on Donald Woods, the newspaper editor who was Biko's close friend and bravely defied South African authorities on Biko's behalf. In theory, shifting the focus makes some sense, since the Biko story is sketchy and downbeat, the Woods part more conventionally dramatic. In fact, it is most unfortunate that this film, with its potential for focusing worldwide attention on the plight of black South Africans, should concentrate its energies on a white man. Oddly enough, there is a stronger sense of South African racism in the opening part of ''Gandhi,'' with the great statesman then a young Indian lawyer who is astounded and indignant at his treatment by a white train conductor, than there is in ''Cry Freedom.'' The new film, for reasons that are incomprehensible, soft-pedals the very issue it is nominally about. Steve Biko, played with great magnetism and given an air of true heroism by Denzel Washington (though the role is badly underdeveloped in John Briley's screenplay), talks at length about white oppression, as do his supporters.

Donald Woods, played by Kevin Kline as a dashing, debonair liberal who evolves ever-so-gradually into an adventurer, talks about it, too. But talking is most of what happens here, since the Attenborough approach makes no distinction between merely stating an idea and demonstrating one through dramatic action. Though the film contains several stupendous riot scenes (including one compressing several weeks' worth of fighting in Soweto, in 1976, into a day and ascribing the actions of black riot police to white ones), it devotes very little time to the day-to-day indignities created by apartheid. In any case, the white actors playing security police are so cartoonishly evil-looking that their actions hold little surprise. ''Cry Freedom,'' which opens today at the Ziegfeld and other theaters, is bewildering at some points and ineffectual at others, but it isn't dull. Its frankly grandiose style is transporting in its way, as is the story itself, even in this watered-down form. Opening with self-consciously journalistic footage of a 1975 police raid on the Crossroads settlement, near Cape Town, it quickly introduces Donald Woods to Steve Biko through the intervention of Dr.

Ramphele (Josette Simon), a fiery woman closely associated with the banned black leader (Biko's reputation as a ladies' man is the sort of humanizing detail the film badly needs, and refuses to make use of). The two men meet and quickly become friends, although they are almost exclusively seen discussing important political questions, rarely engaging in the give-and-take that would make the friendship seem real. 1

Question: Who played the part of Steve Biko in the film 'Cry Freedom'?
Answer: DENZIL WASHINGTON